Disclaimer: The wondrous world of
Dragaera was created by Steven Brust.

written at
16th may 2006, by Misura, as a failed attempt at writing a drabble
for the livejournal-community dragaera100 (prompt: Empress)

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Now, before you jump to any
conclusions, let me tell you that I wasn't in the same room when the
conversation I'm about to describe to you took place. But Aliera
isn't much of a writer, and the Empress isn't much of a gossip (and
Morrolan, if you let either of them read this, I'm going to kill you,
unless they get to me first, of course, in which case I'll simply
come back and haunt you), so I guess it's up to me to remember what
Aliera told me about it, and turn it into something like a
conversation.

Don't blame me if I got it wrong
- though, really, if you'd be able to check my story, I wouldn't be
writing it in the first place, so I suppose I should just say that
you'd better not go and do anything stupid like assuming it actually
happened like this. I'm sure it didn't.

x

"Is it your wish to become
Empress after me?" Zerika asked.

(All right, so she probably
didn't ask that question right away, but I'm sure you can much better
imagine the small talk that went on before this than I can, and even
if you can't, I still wouldn't feel like writing it all down. My hand
hurts bad enough as it is, and since I wouldn't have gotten it
injured if it hadn't been for you, I - )

(Loiosh tells me I should digress
less, and this once, I suppose he's right. So, where were we again?)

"Is it your wish to become
Empress after me?" Zerika asked.

Aliera considered
her answer carefully, reflecting on Zerika's possible reasons for
asking such a question as well as on the tone Zerika had used, the
expression on her face, the colour of the Orb - oh, let's just say
that Zerika had to wait for a reply at least five minutes, maybe
more.

"Should this task be
appointed to me," Aliera finally began, probably a little
reluctant to go and say outright that of course she didn't want to
be Empress, because being Warlord would be so much more fun. I guess
Zerika might not have taken that too well, although who knows? Maybe
she would have sympathized. Norathar would have, I think, and she's a
Dragon.

"Yes?" Zerika inquired,
possibly beginning to get a little impatient. "Should it be
appointed to you?"

"Should this task be
appointed to me, why, then I would carry it out to the best of my
abilities." Aliera shrugged, as if what she'd just said was
nothing but logical, and something Zerika could have known without
asking.

"Because it would besmirch
your honour to do anything less," Zerika sort-of suggested.

"My father," Aliera
started, once again not finishing her sentence.

"Your father has brought
great harm to the Empire, as you have witnessed in person."
Zerika frowned, and the Orb darkened slightly.

"My father did so
unwittingly, having only the best interests of the Empire at heart."
Aliera tossed her hair in a gesture that indicated she didn't like
the direction of the conversation, or Zerika's (very true) statement.

"This may be so,"
Zerika acknowledged. "Yet his actions do not speak in your
favour, nor do the results of those actions."

"I assure you that I have no
intention of repeating my father's mistakes," Aliera said
(keeping her temper in check remarkably well, if you ask me).

This time, it was Zerika's turn
to shrug, as if to say that Aliera's intentions were of little
interest to her. "You have been brought back from the Paths of
the Dead by your cousin, have you not?"

Aliera inclined
her head, rather than agreeing verbally.

"Did he bring you back for
the sole purpose of becoming Heir?" Zerika pressed.

"If he were to become the
next Warlord, then I am sure he would not have any objection to it,"
Aliera temporized. "He is, after all, of the House of Dragon."

"One wonders if he did not
lend his aid to get you back to the world of the living because the
two of you are tied to one another by bonds of blood. In short,
because you are family, and one simply does not leave one's family in
a state that is neither being dead nor being alive." The colour
of the Orb brightened, to indicate Zerika's feelings on the subject
of family were as passionate as her words hinted at.

"One might also wonder at a
person who insults one's father one moment, suggesting one would be
better off not following his example, while praising the value of
blood-ties and family the next." Aliera had narrowed her eyes
(the better to glare with) and would probably have been a lot more
explicit in expressing her displeasure if her company had been anyone
else.

Zerika met
Aliera's gaze evenly. "This conversation is over."

Aliera made
a bow that barely managed not to be insulting. "Should you wish
to know my cousin's opinion in regards to my status, or any other
subject, then you know where to find him, I'm sure."

"Your certainty concerning
this matter is justified," Zerika replied, her tone making it
clear that Aliera's certainties concerning other matters were not, at
least in Zerika's opinion.

Aliera didn't
respond to these words, simply leaving the room.

x

To be honest with you, I have no
idea what you could possibly have learned from reading this - except,
perhaps, that even Aliera can keep her mouth shut and be diplomatic
when she has to. You, of course, will always be her cousin, so I
don't think you can use this new knowledge to prevent the two of you
from getting into another argument the next time she wants to bring
one of your books into her working-room (and, by the way, I asked
Noish-Pa about those teckla-bloodstains, and he couldn't think of
anything that might get them out of something as fragile as paper).

As for me, well, what are the
odds of another Jhereg turning out to be more than what he seems to
be? Especially when said Jhereg is also an Easterner? Besides, no
offense intended (well, okay, plenty of offense intended, but none to
you) but Aliera's a lot more polite to me than most other Dragons (or
Dragaerans) I've met at Castle Black so far.

I'll leave it to you to decide
what this was worth to you; aside from a hand that hurts a lot worse
than it did three hours ago, a piece of paper, ink and some time, it
didn't cost me anything.

signed Vlad
Taltos, baronet

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